OPINION
How remote monitoring can transform
coffee shops The Internet of Things has incredible potential in hospitality and catering environments, and nowhere exemplifies this better than a coffee shop, feels Sam Roberts, sector director at digital transformation solution company, mpro5. MAXIMISING RESOURCES With the rapid developments of the food industry, many businesses are struggling to optimise their operations amidst the chaos of the daily grind. Restaurant and café management is tough work, even without the climate of the pandemic affecting all facets of the catering industry. Businesses need to maximise the resources they have at their disposal now to stay ahead of the competition. Implementing IoT (Internet of Things) solutions can be the first step to success. The Internet of Things, otherwise known as remote monitoring, is a fourth-gen technology that is already impacting many industries – and it can do the same for catering, quick service restaurants and cafés. It may not have the revolutionary potential of its more futuristic and less-developed counterparts, such as AI, but it has clear potential, today, to radically improve hospitality and catering business operations. With the correct software to manage and action the vast amounts of data it creates, IoT can streamline operations and increase productivity, allowing you to see what actions are
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most pressing, and what needs doing in real time. From this, you can see accurate patterns which allow you to plan more accurately. WHAT IS REMOTE MONITORING? Simply put, these are remote sensors that can be connected via the internet to a network that talks to you through a digital platform. These sensors can measure anything from the power draw of a coffee machine, or the temperature of a fridge, to the level of lighting or even noise in a room. Individually, these sensors may appear useless, but once utilised in a holistic and linked network of IoT devices – organised by a software perfect for managing this multitude of devices – then you get the information to create lasting results. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE HUMBLE COFFEE SHOP To many, coffee shops are the underlying support of the business and social world, the location for both productive mornings for the working business world and relaxing, social get-togethers between friends that have become galvanised by the growing coffee culture.
The UK consumes, on average, 95 million cups of coffee daily – that adds up to approximately £10 billion a year for the UK economy. With this potential for profit, it’s important that operators do whatever they can to keep a constant flow of customers; great coffee will always be a great help in attracting business, but making sure that the technology is there to support every aspect of your business goes a long way in keeping the customer experience that much more enjoyable. FOUR WAYS IOT CAN HELP TRANSFORM COFFEE SHOPS Plug the gaps during the staffing crisis Whether due to the pandemic or ‘The Great Resignation’, much of the industrialised world is facing a staffing crisis – and hospitality, catering and service industries are one of the most impacted – hence why job vacancies in the hospitality sector have risen more than 700% in a year (according to ONS data comparing job vacancies in the sector in November 2021 with January 2022).
